The Oskaloosa Community School District has chosen to pursue Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) as the avenue to facilitate quality professional development among its staff. Started during the 2010-2011 school year, early release days were organized to maximize the collaborative work time of the teachers. PLC Learning Teams were formed around the principles established by Rick and Becky DuFour. Administrators participated in a PLC Institute in the Twin Cities in preparation for the implementation of Learning Teams.

Dr. Mary Cooksley, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, explains that teams spent the first year learning how to collaborate together. Each team formulated Norms, SMART Goals, and an Action Plan focused on using student data. During the first year, learning how to look at student learning and assessment data was a priority. The increased use of Assessment FOR Learning and formative assessments was, and continues to be, an emphasis as the Learning Teams move forward in the 2011-2012 school year.

Doug Fisher's work with Data Walls, as well as the DuFours' emphasis on formative data analysis, has guided the work in Oskaloosa Schools. Dr. Cooksley says that while the first year of the PLC Learning Teams was to build the foundation for future work, the district's expectations increase along with the teachers' knowledge and use of formative assessments and analysis of student learning. Lesson Targets based on the curriculum are articulated to students and parents through the use of standards-referenced reporting, data walls are used to discuss student learning on an on-going basis, and teams share their collaboration and ideas with other teams via a Wiki created this year.

The Oskaloosa Community School District is committed to quality professional development and believes in building teachers' leadership capacity as a way to increase student learning and achievement.

You can reach Dr. Cooksley for additional information at 641.673.8345 or at cooksleym@oskaloosa.k12.ia.us.

If you would like to see your school/district featured as a school on the move, please contact Lou Howell or one of the directors, whose e-mail addresses are at the right. 

Iowa Educational Research & Evaluation Association (IEREA) will again sponsor a Distinguished Teacher/ Administrator (K-12) Action Research Award, which will be determined by a panel of judges on behalf of the association. The 2011 award will include a travel stipend, substitute reimbursement, and registration to the conference for themselves and their principal. In addition, $100 will be awarded to the top researchers.    

Paper proposals must be prepared for blind review using a separate cover sheet and should include: paper title, author's/authors' name(s), address(es), phone number(s), and e-mail(s). Papers are to be formatted in Word or Rich Text using APA style (most recent guidelines), on 8.5 X 11 inch paper, double-spaced with reasonable margins, and typed using at least an 11-point type. Papers are not to exceed 30 pages and include: title page, abstract (50 word maximum), goals/objectives, design and methods, results, significance/ impact, tables/graphs/charts/figures and appendices and references. Papers will be evaluated on the following: importance of topic within education, soundness of design, evidence of contributions to practice, quality of writing, and suitability/readiness for presentation. The reported research must be current or continuing and have reportable results by December 1, 2011.

The IEREA action research paper submissions are due by 5:00 P.M. on November 9, 2011, to be considered eligible for consideration. For more information about the selection process, including need for extension date, please consult the IEREA web site (http://www.ierea.org)  or contact Dr. Jon W. McKenzie.

Please submit all electronic papers by e-mail using the Subject heading, "IEREA Paper Proposal <your last name>" to Dr. Jon W. McKenzie.   

Dr. Alan Zimmerman, motivational speaker and writer, is a favorite of Dr. Elaine Smith-Bright, a director on the Iowa ASCD board.  She shares, "He certainly possesses strong and impressive credentials, and has books and seminars to share, but what I have used repeatedly and look forward to receiving is his Tuesday Tip. It comes in on my email, is FREE, and touches on some excellent topics." She recently read "Why Settle for 'Good' When 'The Best' Is Available?" Here is an excerpt:

If you've ever taken a class in psychology, you know that one of the fundamental rules in psychology is that behavior is a function of its consequences.  And yet, all too often, when we get into a leadership role, we forget this rule and do just the opposite.

If you want to get consistently high performance from people, you absolutely CANNOT forget this rule and expect your people to give you good or great results.  You MUST follow a few key guidelines.  

1. Remember the powerful connection between performance and its consequences.
2. Look for performance you can reward.
3. Remember that even little rewards count.
4. Do NOT reward poor performance.
5. Do NOT give inadvertent negative reinforcement. 

If you would like to sign up to read more about these five points, register for Dr. Zimmerman's  Tuesday Tips.   

Jim Knight, University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning, shares a simple and powerful framework to dramatically improve instruction:

1. Classroom Management:  a well-managed class occurs when a teacher clearly articulates expectations for all activities and transitions and then reinforces students so that they will act in alignment with those expectations.  
2. Content Planning:  Students benefit when teachers develop rigorous curriculum that is aligned with state standards. This curriculum can be articulated in unit questions that point to essential knowledge, understandings, and applications as well as in learning maps that depict the progression of learning within the unit.
3. Instruction:  Sort learning into two organizing concepts: mechanical and metaphorical. 
4. Assessment for Learning: Formative assessment is based on six steps.   

Read Knight's article, The Big Four - A Simple & Powerful Framework to Dramatically Improve Instruction for deeper understanding and access additional tools and supports at The Big Four ning. 

According to Jim Knight, Radical Learners . . .

• believe we are here on earth to learn, so they are turned on by every chance they get to discover something new
• use technology to learn, to teach, or lead (and because it's cool)
• have hope because they know that to teach without hope is to damage, but to teach with hope can save the world
• love the members of their PLN (Professional Learning Network) 
• have mentors and coaches
• mentor and coach others
• are witnesses to the good
• are brutally honest about what is really happening in their classroom and would welcome any visitor who could help them improve
• don't blame others but accept personal responsibility
• infect everybody with their love of learning, most importantly the children they teach
• make a difference

Are you a radical learner?  You may want to check out Knight's blog on Radical Learners!  

Iowa schools who have chosen to implement 1 to 1 in their districts share these reasons on their wikispace:

• Improves student achievement and increases student learning
• Improves student engagement and develops student-centered classrooms
• Complements project-based learning driven by research, collaboration and production of a final product
• Broadens learning beyond the classroom
• Takes advantage of teachable moments
• Prepares students for tomorrow's workplace
• Allows teachers to more easily differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students
• Opens up more opportunities for teachers and students to collaborate with other educators, students, and professionals throughout the world
• Is an instructional tool to help teach the Iowa Core Curriculum
• Gives students a tool to help them become self-directed learners
• Levels the playing field for all students
• Makes technology integration more efficient; more time spent on instruction
• Teaches digital citizenship and technology usage to students
• Schools need to change and this is one tool that will help

 Check out the schools in Iowa who are 1 to 1 schools. 

Iowa ASCD is the source for developing instructional leadership. Serving more than 750 educators - teachers, principals, superintendents, directors of curriculum, technology specialists, college professors, AEA staff - Iowa ASCD strives to develop the collaborative capacity to impact the learning of each and every student in Iowa.